Author: Svein Jentoft, TBTI founding member
Without proper implementation of the SSF Guidelines, plans for the Blue Economy and Blue Growth will come to naught for small-scale fisheries.
In the Blue Economy, the number and diversity of stakeholders in coastal areas are likely to increase. With space becoming scarce, conditions will be ripe for conflict, which will hamper growth. Which investor will risk an area that looks like a war zone? The remedy for this scenario is Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) involving all stakeholders.
Should MSP bring democracy and order while securing the legitimate, urgent, and rightful stakes of small-scale fishers, they should welcome it. If, on the other hand, MSP fails to deliver, small-scale fishing people should mobilize. To shield themselves from the so-called ‘ocean grabbing’ they must be empowered at their own initiative.
Svein Jentoft. (2020). On and by the water. SAMUDRA report, No 82.
